Video Blog for December 2014

In this Vlog I'm answering fan questions, introducing my son Cameron and discussing release dates and my upcoming surgery. This video is broken into 2 parts so that I can upload it to YouTube.





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Getting into the spirit of the season

My fireplace and Christmas Tree

I live in a house that is nearly 100 years old. I remember this house even before I ever owned it. This is the house that belonged to my grandparents. When I was a child I used to stand in Grandma's kitchen with the pleasant smells of passed cooked dishes and the cleaning solution she used on the Linoleum floor. I remember watching her at the kitchen sink with its bright window right in front of her and I thought the best thing in the world was to wash dishes while looking out across your back yard. I wished that one day I'd have a kitchen sink with a window situated right in front of it. And now I have my Grandmother's kitchen.
I remember looking at my grandparent's fireplace and hoping to grow up and have a house with a fireplace. Now I have my grandparent's fireplace. Mine is a small humble house but to me it is so beautiful. I feel blessed to call this place my very own home.

Holiday get-together

I put up the Christmas tree this year and remembered as a child how we would get dressed up so that we could spend Thanksgiving or Christmas at Grandma and Granddaddy's house. We'd bring our toys (and lose some over here). All of my cousins and uncles would party until the wee hours and this was our tradition. Funky Good Time by James Brown always ended up on the record player right along with Parliament Funkadelic and the kids would form a 'Soul Train Line'.
Now as time has moved on this house is quiet. With the passing of my Grandparents we no longer gather here to celebrate. 2014 has marked the passing of many family members; Uncle Greg, Uncle RJ, Uncle Joe, Aunt Ann my cousin Kenny--and then there is the loss of friends and I reflect on this year and pray that the next keeps us and our loved ones safe.
Memories shouldn't make you sad--and in this case it doesn't. I like reliving my childhood memories and walking from room to room reflecting on a past that is now a part of my present and maybe even my own grandchildren's future.

My grandmother dancing

Grandma and Uncle Greg

Being an empty nestor during the Holidays

As my children grow towards adulthood and have left the nest I am generally very ecstatic about being an empty nester. I am very busy and have no time to give into loneliness (if that should ever be possible for a self-proclaimed hermit). When I'm not working I spend the remainder of my time trying to achieve goals that interest me, chilling with my friends or sleeping. Also, it is nice to put a piece of food in the fridge and when I go back for a snack it is still there. I love not falling into the toilet. And it is nice not to walk into the room and hear the Sponge Bob theme or the same episodes of Roseanne being repeated over and over.
But then comes the Holidays and the excitement of Christmas and the family feeling of Thanksgiving isn't the same when you live alone. This year was the first year that I had to put up the Christmas tree by myself. My daughter is away at college but has a job that is keeping her busy during the Holiday season.
I even considered not putting up a tree but hoped that it would get me into the season. But it was a chore without my daughter there to put on Holiday music while we talk about the history of the ornaments, watching Rudolph on television and situating the tree just right. Even my son acting very 'Bah Humbug' while refusing to help decorate is a part of the Christmas tradition while we threaten to leave him with the task of taking down and packing up all the Christmas decorations.
As much as I love being an empty nestor--I LOVE walking into the house and seeing my daughter's bag on the living room floor. I don't get annoyed when I walk into the bathroom and see the toilet seat is up. I feel the warm glow of family when I hear music playing from the basement where my son hangs out when he is home. And in the living room I love seeing my daughter propped on the couch eating a bowl of leftovers while flicking her feet in contentment as that passive aggressive Sponge Bob is toying with people.
I get a big smile on my face...no maybe it's a little one on my face but a big one in my heart.

Why Pep is selling digital books on ETSY.com

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